


Blue Moon

by lilacsandlavender



Series: Bates Motel fanfics :) [9]
Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: F/M, i need more cute alex and norma date fics, requested by a friend!, she's probably a vanilla or chocolate kind of girl but who cares, space theme!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29972895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilacsandlavender/pseuds/lilacsandlavender
Summary: A hot July day in White Pine Bay leaves Norma wondering how she can cool down, and Alex tries to help out by taking her someplace he doesn't know she hasn't been before.
Relationships: Norma Bates/Alex Romero
Series: Bates Motel fanfics :) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014042
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	Blue Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This may be the silliest little thing I've made for this fandom, but I hope it's something that makes you smile nonetheless :)

They’re both looking at it. 

Or, more accurately, at what isn’t in a particular spot making up the motel’s gravel parking lot. Where there was once a large hole in ground is no more, and though Alex and Norma know full well that Bob Paris’ dimensions for the pool he’d promised Norma once-upon-a-time were ridiculous and created out of spite, the couple can’t help but secretly wish a safer version of the long-forgotten pool, or even some sort of body of water to cool down in, was available for their enjoyment. 

It seems silly that they’re huddled inside the motel office, which is surprisingly more strongly air conditioned than their house, when they live in a county called White Pine _Bay_ , for one would assume that they’d just head down to the water to combat against the outrageously hot July day. However, it has rained three nights in a row, which means that by policy the beaches have to be temporarily closed because that amount rainwater carries the chance of a higher concentration of harmful pollution. In addition, the currents are too strong to allow the public to swim safely, but that hasn’t stopped Norma from begging Alex to use his position of power to grant her some leniency in the rules. 

“Please, Alex?” Norma is currently using her best helpless puppy-dog look on her husband once more in hopes that maybe she can wear him down with each passing plea. She knows that she can usually get her way if she makes herself seem sad and vulnerable. Is it a desperate, slightly manipulative tactic on her part? Yes, but she’s not acting anymore. Rumors have been flitting around town that it’s been the hottest few days in a row Oregon’s seen in decades, and Norma has no trouble denying it. 

“It would be so easy to take a quick dip if nobody’s around. I don’t care if I have to scrub myself down three times afterwards, and I promise to stay close to the-”

Alex had stopped staring out the window, resorting to picking through the office’s magazine rack, and upon hearing her suggestion, he puts back the National Geographic magazine with the Milky Way on the cover to cut her off.

“No- Nope, Norma, it’s not gonna happen,” he says firmly, looking straight in her eyes to make sure she’s understanding the validity of seriousness in his decision. The cop side of him is showing, and it annoys Norma when he uses this tone on her. All it does is make her feel like he’s treating her the way he did back when the only time she was in his mouth was in the form of “Mrs Bates”, as if since then they haven’t come so far that now his lips wordlessly work their magic in finding and claiming the most intimate and vulnerable parts of who he calls his wife. 

Resorting to tears would have been her next move, but then he’s reaching for her, pulling her close, and some of that serious demeanor disappears, giving way to the underlying worry etched on his face that Norma suspects has been under his stoic facade this whole time. It stops her in her tracks, and she blinks up at him curiously. 

“Norma,” he murmurs, stoking her face, and the motions make her subconsciously lean into his touch despite the weather discouraging the exchange of bodily contact. “I would – will – never let you put yourself in danger, even remotely; you know this. I... I don’t care if I’m right there to catch you. If anything were to happen-” This time it’s his turn to be cut off, the culprit at fault a certain painful memory Norma can immediately identify since it’s the only topic with the ability to move him to tears. For her to accept any apology from him concerning the incident came easily to her, but she knows that deep down he’s never truly stopped beating himself up for leaving her alone that night. 

They don’t ever talk about what happened. Instead, Alex acknowledges the gut-wrenching truth of what might’ve been by being fiercely protective of her. If Norma thought he’d looked out for her before their hasty, impromptu wedding, that was nothing compared to now. It was kind of cute, how he’d meet her at the bottom of the steps to help her bring in groceries, or call her at random times of the day, or try to casually ask her if anyone had recently upset her. His attempts to play off his incessant insistence to check on her as just loving her presence warmed Norma’s heart, but she wasn’t dumb. The man could be worse than a helicopter parent, all in the name of ensuring her safety. 

Most of the time Norma thinks it’s endearing, and as much as she wants to appreciate her husband’s overprotective nature, all she wants is to not be bored and bothered by the heat. The idea of visiting Norman flits through her mind momentarily but then leaves as soon as it arrives since the last time they talked he hadn’t been too happy to see her. Shopping around town is out of the equation as well; nobody has their stores open due to customers wanting to stay indoors. No guests are checking into the motel either, so she doesn’t even have the choice to stay preoccupied the office. 

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” she whines loudly and stomps her foot in annoyance at her limited options. “It’s hotter than the surface of the sun out there. It’s too hot to even think.” 

Her pout must be bigger than she realizes – or maybe she knows exactly what she’s doing – because some of Alex’s resolve melts at the sight of her obvious distress. Though they’re both the most stubborn person the other has met, Norma’s become well-acquainted with the way her husband’s love for her causes him to, more often than not, do whatever means possible to make her happy, even at his own argument’s expense.

With a small sigh he grabs his keys from where he’s placed them on the counter ledge. “Alright-”

Thinking he’s changed his mind, Norma stops slouching, perks up, and starts to smile.

“-let’s go get some ice cream.”

This isn’t what Norma expects him to say. She reverts back to her frown, but it deepens this time into a scowl. “I don’t want ice cream,” she snaps, flopping down into a chair, crossing her arms, and following up with a grumbled statement about how there’s some up in the house if he really wants any. Alex seems taken aback by her bluntness, but only for a second before he’s urging her up once more.

“C’mon, we’re gonna go get more. It’ll beat sitting around here, and I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Norma hesitates, her mind computing his words. “Oookay,” she says slowly, trying to humor what seems like an odd suggestion. “I don’t think getting ice cream was a two person job, but guess I’ll bite.”

Alex just chuckles as he shuts the passenger door after watching her struggle to climb inside his SUV, for she’s never fully gotten used to how tall the vehicle is. They drive in silence, air conditioning cranked up to the max, the only sound other than Train’s Drops of Jupiter on the radio is the wind flowing in and out of the windows that Alex points out defeats the purpose of the car’s air, but after Norma makes a fuss, lets her keep down anyways.

When they approach the town’s supermarket and Alex makes no sign of stopping or even slowing down, Norma throws him a confused look. “What-” she starts in surprise and cranes her neck to look at the store becoming smaller and smaller in the back window. Eyebrows scrunched together, she pats his arm repeatedly to get his attention. “You missed it.”

Her gestures don’t deter her husband from making another turn at the next light, and Norma’s frustration at his secrecy is only fueled when he winks at her. Trying to use the firm, demanding voice she’d typically use on her kids when they were little on the sheriff, Norma questions, “Where are we going?” over and over, and it’s only when she asks a ridiculous question that he breaks his silence to say, “No, I’m not kidnapping you.”

Norma’s been so focused on trying to read Alex’s face that she finally brings turns her attention to what he’s made their destination be. A small shack-like building stands alone just about 20 yards away, and there’s a decent-sized line of excited-sounding people leading up to it. She squints against the bright sun to read the sign surrounded by multi-colored banners, and her heart skips a beat when it all begins to makes sense.

As if he’s won some unspoken contest between them, Alex smugly says, “See? I told you we were getting ice cream.” He kills the engine, slips out of his side of the car, and his excited smile leaves Norma little to contemplate as the leads them hand in hand to join the line full of people, locals and tourists alike. 

It’s only when Norma looks up at the menu that her heart starts to beat faster. She has no idea what a "frost bite cone” or “chocolate fudge macadamia nut blizzard bowl” is. The string of words that read “strawberry shortcake super sundae” confuse her, because _what is that?_ , and she struggles to recall if she knows the difference between the terms “soft serve” and “hand-dipped”. Then, just her luck, of course the myriad amount of just the normal ice cream flavors has to be overwhelming to look at. Whatever this place is, it’s decided to give many of their flavors catchy yet complexly long names that take squinting at their descriptions to figure out their components.

_What in the world is a Kitty Kitty Bang Bang or a Elvis in White?_

Though she knows it’s not her fault that she’s unfamiliar with the language, she can’t help but feel lost and a little awkward, especially when everyone else seems to know exactly what they want. The line is moving faster than she’s been expecting it to, and with each step forward, a panic grows inside her. She doesn’t want to seem dumb in front of everyone, especially since Alex is with her. Though she knows he isn’t shallow in the slightest, she does know that a mess-up on her end will reflect poorly on him, and the last thing she wants is for Alex to regret taking her here (or worse, anywhere).

 _You like trying new things_ , she silently chastises herself. _You’re going to be fine._

Maybe it’s how she starts to fidget, or maybe she’s subconsciously squeezing Alex’s hand a little too hard, but something gives away her anxious state against her will. 

Ever the mind reader, Alex’s demeanor quickly turns serious. “What’s wrong?” he questions, and when he motions for the people behind them to move ahead, she knows that he won’t let them take any steps further until she’s answered him. Concern is written all over his face, and Norma can practically feel his cheery mood slipping away while guilt starts to seep into her conscience. All Alex has tried to do was make her day better, and what had she done? Acted ungrateful, and now the unfamiliarity of having to choose something she’ll hopefully like is eating at her. 

In this moment she’s aware that she doesn’t have the strength to explain that to Alex without seeming sad, which will inevitably leave him feeling terrible and attempt to lessen her guilt by picking it up to place on his own shoulders.

“Nothing, I promise. I’m just...surprised, that’s all.” It’s true. She had thought “going to get ice cream” had just meant buying some from the store. The idea of actually _going_ to an ice cream stand hadn’t crossed her mind, and now she feels silly. When his worried expression turns into a curious one, Norma shifts from foot to foot. There’s no getting out of this one. “It’s really embarrassing,” she mumbles and tries to brush it off, tries for a smile, but Alex _still_ isn’t convinced or satisfied. _Damn him and his intuition and persistence_ , Norma grumbles to herself.

“What? What is?”

Norma swallows. To any outsider it may sound like he’s trying to press information out of her, but Norma knows that he simply desires to understand her thoughts so he can appropriately react. “I’ve just...never done....this.” Gesturing lazily towards the building, she takes a peek at his eyes. Stunned silence hangs in the air, and the warmth Norma feels on her cheeks can’t be from the heat of the day only. 

“You’ve never been to get ice cream before?” He slowly asks, raising an eyebrow.

Norma offers a shy half-smile and shrug. “No, not really. At least not for myself. Growing up, my family just didn’t take these kinds of outings, not with my mom so sedated all the time and my dad always out working or drunk. When I had the boys I took them a few times when I could, but with two little kids, especially boys who don’t mind being messy, you can’t really eat anything for yourself while watching one run around and wiping the face and fingers of another. Then suddenly I was all grown up and living here, and I guess ice cream isn’t an ideal date.”

She expects Alex to laugh, because who goes their whole life without getting ice cream in a cone in the summertime? It’s ridiculous, the number of things the hardships of her past have prevented her from doing as well as forced her to learn, and sometimes Norma doesn’t consider the existence of simple childhood joys she would have experienced until they’ve been presented to her.

Alex doesn’t laugh though. He doesn’t even crack a smile, taking a moment to silently study her before finally moving them out of the line. _Sensing when I’m anxious must be superpower of his,_ she concludes, for it’s obvious he’s trying to make her feel better by saying, “We don’t have to do this, Norma,” gently. “I just-”

“No, no, it’s fine, really,” Norma tries to insist, still stuck in the mindset that she needs to make up and overcome not only what she calls irrational anxiety but also her previously ungrateful behavior, for it’s moments like these that scare her the most: moments where she finds herself getting too emotionally caught up or carried away, too comfortable in Alex’s doting to remind herself that she’s lucky to have him at all and should watch her mouth and actions. She’d always had to tread lightly around Sam so he wouldn’t follow through on his threats, and though it makes her sick to find herself even imagining having to live in fear around her sweet Alex who is nothing like that horrible, abusive pig of a man, there’s a self-deprecating, destructive nature in her which continues to haunt its subject.

“There’s just a _lot_ of choices up there.” She giggles uneasily, eying the large board again. It seems to welcome her, in a way, since she’s never felt like she’s been given so many choices in at once in her life, but it also intimidates her for exact same reason. “But you wanted to come, and I don’t want that to stop you from what you were looking forward to doing.”

Alex immediately pulls her close to him then, for the second time in half an hour, not caring that a good chunk of the town is in viewing distance of seeing their sheriff being affectionate as he rubs her arms comfortingly. “Baby-” he practically coos, drawing out the word out into its two distinct syllables. The pet name sends Norma’s world spinning. She loves it when he calls her that, and though he does it more often than one would think, there’s an air of sadness made obvious from his expression this time.

“This isn’t about or for me. It’s about what’ll make _you_ happy, but if this is too much at once, then I promise it’s okay if we leave.” He smiles at her then, a real, reassuring one that causes Norma to nearly burst into tears. Never in a million years would Sam have let her call the shots, even to something as trifle as this – he and the men after him constantly backing her into corners made by walls of their wills – but here Alex is with his understanding brown eyes, and the way he patiently waits for her verdict tells her she’s supported. He’s not on the alert to his surroundings like he usually is, focused instead on alleviating her emotions by acknowledging their presence. Something about the way she knows he’ll do everything in his power, uniform on or not, to bring a smile on her face that matches his own makes her feel brave.

She grabs the hand she’d dropped and leads them to the back of the line. “I’m okay,” she promises. “I need to figure out what I want, but if you help me out, I can do it.”

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

“You gonna have to eat that faster if you don’t want it all over your dress.”

It turns out that Alex hadn’t needed to help Norma with anything other than reminding her that heat makes ice cream melt. After much speculation of the chart, Norma’s attention had been caught by the small picture next to one of the flavors. She’d been silent for a moment while trying to figure out what it could be, but then eventually given up and turned to him for help.

“Is that... _blue_ ice cream?”

Alex had peeked over her shoulder at what had caught her attention. “Oh, that’s just blue moon ice cream-”

“Like the beer? Does it have alcohol in it?” Norma had made a face. She liked wine and tequila and the occasional martini, but she drew the line at beer. Just the thought of it reminded her of Sam and how he’d leave his bottles littered around his beloved, disgustingly broken-in armchair. The mere smell of it brought back memories when he’d get so drunk that he’d make her see stars just for talking the “wrong” way.

Alex had broke into her thoughts, mistaking her attempt to mask her distaste for curiosity.

“No,” he’d chuckled. “It just happens to have the same name. I think it’s a midwestern thing, but I suggest you don’t get that kind if this is your first time here. You might not like it.”

There must have been something magical in his words because Norma decided that her mind was made up by ordering just that.

In her mind, nobody could tell her what she’d prefer or hate without becoming a victim of her skepticism surrounding their claims – not even Alex – for she feels as if her taste for many things are unpredictable. For instance, her clothes? Who would have guessed she’d have a love for an old-fashioned style _and_ be able to pull it off? She’s spent her whole life trusting her gut, but now that following instinct is more than just a main tactic to stay out of harm’s way, Norma’s slowly been learning that trusting herself can be enjoyable.

 _Screw stupid Sam and his stupid beer. I’m not going to let anything associated with his dead memory stop me from trying new things_ , she’d told herself while Alex paid for their food.

Catching her husband’s tiny grin at her stubbornness, Norma had taken her first taste, was pleasantly surprised at the slightly tangy, fruity taste, and smiled brightly. “It’s good!” she’d squeaked happily as they strolled along the sidewalk that creates a perimeter around the shack.

Relief seemed to flood over Alex’s face, and Norma inwardly laughed a little because something told her he’d been dreading yet willing to wait back in line to get her something else if she hadn’t liked her spontaneous choice. A tingling, happy sensation filled her when she took her thoughts a step further and realized he’d get her everything on the menu if that’s what it took to satiate her mood. He was consistently insistent on the existence of her happiness like that.

Due to high demand, all the park beaches were taken so they’d resorted to sitting in some shade offered by a small tree. At first, Norma had been hesitant to repeatedly lick a piece of food in public, unsure of how silly or little kid-like she’d look, but then after seeing everyone else do just that, along with realization of no other way to eat it, she’d given in and now finds herself disregarding her appearance as she vigorously competes against the heat.

Norma hears Alex chuckle, and she glances up to see him methodically consuming his own cone while watching her. “Don’t laugh,” she whines, but she secretly finds it freeing in a way, to be here with the person she loves the most and not giving a damn about anything for once. Before she can think twice, she quickly sticks out her tongue, deciding that she already looks ridiculous, but Alex just shakes his head in amusement at the sight of her blue-stained tongue.

“You’re so cute,” he comments.

Norma doesn’t know what to say to that. It’s a short statement, but there’s genuine intent in it shown by the way his warm, shining eyes smile at her. Even seven months into marriage, she often finds herself not sure how to respond to his sweet, seemingly-random compliments or acts of affection, for her past husbands had never showered her with love like he does. She loves it, though: those multitudes of quick kisses on her head from him in the morning he uses to wake her up that she calls, much to his faux dismay, unicorn kisses; or the way he’ll sometimes introduce her as “the woman who makes my life complete”, or how he shows that she’s on his mind by sending her, while he’s at work, flowers with little messages tucked into them which read things like “hope you know you’re beautiful” and “can’t wait to see you later”. Norma’s kept every one of those cards.

Most times, all she can do in the moment, like right now, is smile to show her gratitude, but Alex never demands a bigger reaction, proving that he truly acts and loves her from his heart and not for show.

 _That’s what separates him from Sam,_ she suddenly thinks as a drop of blue drips onto her hand from her lack of immediate attention. _I don’t have to live in fear for any reason of Alex leaving or hurting me because people who shamelessly love you don’t have harmful intentions. People who stand by you respect what’s in your comfort zone to do, even if it’s just going out for food._ It’s like a cool breeze on this hot day that this hits her, a freeing and refreshing addition to the moment making her chest constrict with emotion.

Norma wants to stop focusing on how kind Alex is, if only for a minute, because she feels like there’s a large possibility of crying over the knowledge that a simple ice cream date has made her feel freer than ever before; and she knows he’ll be alarmed if he sees her go from content to teary.

“I wanna try yours,” she blurts out and reaches for his ice cream with one outstretched arm.

Alex is faster though, pulling his food out of reach, laughing at her sudden demand. “I don’t think so,” he pretends to warily eye her. “I think moose tracks might be a little to basic for your taste buds, miss blue moon.”

“ _Please?_ ” Norma persists and tries to bargain. “I’ll let you lick mine.”

Too late does Norma realize her wording is vague enough to joke about. Apparently Alex is in no mood to let a perfect opportunity to tease her slip by, for he lowers his voice and leans in slightly to ask, “let me lick your what, exactly?” before moving back to relish in her reaction. He’s not disappointed.

“Alex!” Norma hisses, face turning red as she quickly glances around to make sure nobody was in hearing distance of his suggestive comment. “What would happen if someone heard you talking like that?”

He responds by casually shrugging and going back to his cone. “What would happen?” he echoes. “I guess they’re reminded that their sheriff loves his wife, though I’m not sure that’s much of a surprise to anyone anymore.” He’s right. The whole town knows how their previous stone-faced head of law enforcement has no qualms when it comes to being seen smiling when with Norma.

Norma lets out a small _humph_ of agreement, and resorts to biting her ice cream out of disappointment at his unwillingness to share. She should have known that he wasn’t serious – he could rarely say and actually mean “no” to her – but he doesn’t let her fulfill her request in an obvious, conventional way.

“You got something on your nose.”

Hand flying to her face, Norma doesn’t feel anything and looks down at her fingers in confusion. “What are you talking ab-”

Alex interrupts her by lightly and quickly bumping his ice cream against her nose. “Right there,” he insists with yet another chuckle. “How did you not notice?”

Surprise makes Norma’s mouth drop open, for she hasn’t thought she’d ever see the day where sheriff Alex Romero played with his food, but as she blinks and stutters, he proves that he’s not done.

“You got a napkin to wipe it off,” he says, shifting in the grass to place himself closer to her. “Or...” He’s in incredible proximity now. “I can take care of it.” Though Norma’s confused at what he’s saying, she knows they both know she wants the latter, so she leans in as well.

Alex wordlessly closes the gap between them by kissing her nose, and Norma finds out that it’s not a very good clean-up method. _I’ll have to use that napkin anyways,_ she thinks, but a second later it’s made clear that the mess was a deliberate tactic, an excuse for Alex to make some initial contact, for immediately after he departs, he’s tilting his head and moving in for a real kiss.

Food, the heat, and the outside world is forgotten by Norma and Alex as they both deepen the kiss, falling in emotions and melting into each other faster than their ice cream is, and Norma giggles in surprise and delight when Alex kisses her again, the second intrusion just as welcome as the first. If his claim that the town knew his affection for her was to take physical form, this was it. For a moment, Norma’s not sure if she’s still on Earth, this sensation nothing new since each time Alex kisses her like this it feels like she’s floating. When they finally come back up for air, his eyes are shining and she’s breathing a little hard. 

“Do you still want to try this?” he teases, and Norma feels her heart jump. To him, he’s referring to the not-so-frozen treat in his hand she’d been coveting just a minute ago, and there’s a good chance that he knows she’d been able to taste the chocolate on his lips when they’d kissed, but to Norma his words hold gravity, mean _more_ , than a simple question. 

To her, he might as well be asking if she wants to try “ _this_ ” as in _life_ , the good and bad and everything in between - with him by her side, and all Norma can think is _yes_ , because Alex’s love and care for her can only be summed up as “out of this world”. Being with him has changed her life so drastically that her current outlook on life compared to her one in Arizona makes her wonder if he’s somehow taken her to live and dance and laugh on a planet that’s more beautiful and kind than this one.

Yes, she’s eager to discover anything and everything that pops up on this certain journey called marriage. Yes, she’s going to be okay with stumbling on life’s creation of craters on this path, all because she knows he’ll be there to catch her if she falls with those open arms of his. He makes her want to visit a dozen more ice cream shops – with her eagerly leading the way each time – and try more ridiculously colored flavors and make each spot a landmark of where kisses are exchanged.

“I think,” she starts, pretending to be deep in thought. Alex raises an eyebrow at her, and right before she kisses him one more time she whispers, “I think I need another taste.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I realized too late that blue moon ice cream is predominately only a thing in the midwest United States, so the probability of this happening is slim to none, but it's one of my favorite flavors so I really wanted to include it.


End file.
